Manufacture and use of textile materials



Patented Aug. ill, i937 MANUFACTURE AND use or rExmE MATERIALS CamilleDreyfus, New York, N. Y., and William Whitehead, Cumberland, Md.,

assignors to Celanese Corporation of America, a. corporation of DelawareNo Drawing.- Application May 18, 1935, Serial No. 22,174

6 Claims.

This invention relates to the manufacture of crepe threads and filamentsof cellulose acetate or other organic derivatives of cellulose and tothe production of fabrics therefrom wherein an agent is incorporatedwith the filaments to enhance their value as threads for producing acrepe fabric.

An object of this invention is the economic and expeditious productionof threads containing organic derivatives of cellulose which has a highdegree of crepe suitable for the production of crepe fabrics. A furtherobject of this invention is the treatment of yarns and the twisting ofsame to a high degree of twist in such a manner as to produce fabricshaving a uniform creping property. Other objects of the invention willappear from the following detailed description.

It has been found that if yarns of organic derivatives of cellulose aretightly twisted, especially in the presence of steam, the same may bewoven into a fabric which produces a substantial amount of crepe. It hasalso been found that the crepe yarns containing organic derivatives ofcellulose form a crepe fabric, the type and amount of crepe materiallydiffering according to the conditions of the threads at the time thehigh degree of twist is placed therein. These varying conditions whichinfluence the type and amount of crepe that the threads will producecauses diificulties in the manufacture of crepe fabrics consistingentirely of threads of organic derivatives of cellulose. By employingthis invention, however, the above mentioned cellulose, which haveincorporated therewith an' oil such as a vegetable oil, by crepetwisting in a single stage and, during the insertion of the crepe twist,steaming the threads. It is of great advantage to have moisture presentduring the steaming. Thus, during the twisting operation wet steammay beapplied to the travelling yarn over at least a portion of that part ofits track in which twisting takes place.

This invention is of especial value and will be more particularlydescribed in connection with the production of crepe threads offilaments of cellulose acetate.

By incorporating an oil with the filaments of cellulose acetate, it hasbeen found possible to produce crepe threads which yield fabricsexhibiting crepe eifects of an excellence hitherto unattained withcellulose acetate crepe threads. Moreover, with this new process theremay be produced cellulose acetate crepe threads which have an averagestrength very much greater than that of cellulose acetate crepe threadsproduced by a simple twisting operation without the aid of an oil beingcontained in the filaments during the steam treatment and twistingoperation. Further, apart from the great advantage of a strong resultantthread, the twisting operation itself is greatly facilitated in thattwisting may be satisfactorily accomplished under conditions of twistand spindle speed which, in the absence of oil in the filaments, wouldgive rise to frequent thread breakage and render impossible theinsertion of the desired twist or at least lead to a very weak anduseless thread.

Any suitable oil may be incorporated with the filaments containingcellulose acetate. Examples of suitable oils are olive oil, castor oil,cotton seed oil, tea seed oil, etc. Although vegetable oils arepreferred, the fatty acids derived from the vegetable oils, or animaland mineral oils may be employed. The oil may be incorporated with theyarns in amounts up to 3% or more on the weight of the cellulose acetatepresent in the yarns. However, it is preferred to employ small amountssuch as .2 or 5% by weight. The oil may be incorporated with thefilaments containing cellulose acetate by adding the same to thespinning solution or dope from which the filaments are formed. Thus,0.05 part by weight of an oil may be added to a solution containing 25parts by weight of cellulose acetate in a volatile solvent and the sameextruded through orifices of suitable shape and diameter to form thetype of yarn desired. Either the wet or dry method of spinning may beemployed.

After the yarns of filaments containing cellulose acetate and an oilhave been formed, they may be lubricated during any winding operationwith a coating of a lubricating substance such as a mixture of oil andglycerols, glycols, their substitution products and derivatives. Thiscoating of oil may be a mixture of a sulphonated oil and anon-sulphonated oil. This latter mixture is preferred as it allows forthe penetration of steam and water into the filaments.- These coatingsare not applied as an aid to the creping action but for textileoperations where the yarns pass through guides, etc.

The threads may consist of substantially continuous filaments ofcellulose acetate, or they may contain discontinuous filaments ofcellulose acetate, the length of which may vary within wide limits.Other filaments and fibers may be present in the yarns, for example,cotton, wool, silk, regenerated cellulose, etc.

If desired, the filaments of the yarns to be formed into the crepethreads may contain waterinsoluble compounds, such as compounds ofpigment-like character, in such form as materially to modify the lustreof the filaments (e. g. barium sulphate or titanium dioxide), or loadingmetal compounds, for example, tin compounds.

In carrying out the new process, twisting may be eifected on a device ofthe kind in which the thread is drawn off over the end of a rotatingpackage through a guide fixed preferably substantially in line with theaxis of rotation of the package and is thereafter woundon a bobbin orthe like, the thread being passed, on its way from the guide to thebobbin, through steam. In this way the thread is subjected to the actionof the steam during the actual application of a substantial amount ofthe twist, or to the action of both steam and moisture if it is passedthrough steam under such conditions that moisture is present.

0n the other hand, any other suitable crepe twisting device may beemployed in conjunction with steaming. For example, a ring twister maybe used for the crepe twisting of thread consisting of discontinuouscellulose acetate filaments.

- The twisting spindle, the guide fixed substantially in line with theaxis of the spindle, and

the steaming device should be so arranged that the twist resulting fromthe rotation of the package is at least partly inserted while the threadis under the influence of steam.

Steaming may conveniently be effected by allowing the thread to passthrough a suitable chamber supplied with steam, preferably under suchconditions that moisture is present. The chamber is provided with smallholes, top and bottom, to permit passage of the thread, and

also with a steam inlet. If desired, a single steam chamber may bearranged to serve a number of spindles, the chamber being provided withinlet and outlet holes for the thread from each spindle. Such anapparatus may conveniently consist of a horizontal pipe mountedover arow of spindles and provided with eyes of porcelain, stainless steel, orother suitable material at appropriate points on the top and bottom forthe entrance and exit of the threads. The diameter of the pipe may besumcient to afford the thread the requisite length of travel in thesteam. Alternatively, a pipe having a smaller diameter may be used, inwhich case the pipe may be provided with hollow nipples communicatingtherewith and through which the yarn passes, the nipples being ofsuificient size to provide, together with the diameter of the pipes, therequisite length of travel in the steam. Steam may be admitted to thepipe at one point, or at more than one point as may be necessaryaccording to the length of the pipe, to secure sufiiciently uniformconditions of steaming as between the threads from the differentspindles.

The presence of the desired moisture may. be assured by supplying wetsteam to the steaming device and/or by arranging for the condensationofsteamto supply the requisite amount of moisture. Wet steam may beconveniently produced by passing steam through water at suitablevelocity, for instance, small traps for condensed water may be providedat suitable intervals in the steaming chamber and steam injectedtherethrough by means of small pipes or orifices. Another method ofensuring the presence of moisture is to wet the thread with water. Forexample, the bobbins of thread may be wetted before the twistingoperation or, better, water may be applied to the thread by means of awick or other device after the thread leaves the spindle and prior toits entering the steaming device.

Steam at slightly above atmospheric pressure, is most convenientlyemployed. If desired, however, the steaming may be eifected with steamat any desired super-atmospheric pressures, e. g. steam at 10-25 lbs.per square inch.

A steaming treatment of relatively short duration such as may be securedby passing the yarn at a speed of from 2 to 10 metres per minute throughsay from 1" to 3" of steam has been found to give satisfactory results.Lengthier treatments may, however, be employed, for example, the yarnmay be passed at the said speeds through 6 to 12" or more of steam.

The cellulose acetate filaments of the threads having an oilincorporated therein very readily undergo stretching when the threadsare twisted under the influence of the steam and moisture. The amount ofstretch may be measured by comparing the original thread denier with thefinal thread denier (after untwisting). It has been found that when acellulose acetate thread is crepe twisted by the-new process involvingthe incorporating of an oil with the filaments and steaming duringtwisting so as to produce a crepe thread of good strength and crepingproperties, the denier of the resultant thread is, in general, owing toimparted stretch, less and even substantially less than if the thread issimply crepe twisted without such treatments. The stretch imparted tothe filaments of the thread during the twisting operation may, forexample, be of the order of 5-25% of their original length, andparticularly 10-20%. The degree of stretching or the filaments of thethread may be such that the final denier of the crepe twisted thread isnot much in excess of or is even the same or less than the denier of thethread prior to twisting. For example, the stretch may be such that thedenier of the crepetwisted thread is from to or or more, particularlyand 100 to 110% of that of the thread before crepe twisting, especiallyin case of threads having an original denier of 200 or less. In the caseof heavier threads, 1. e. those having a denier above 200, the denierincrease may be greater and still good crepe efiects attained.

The degree of twist applied in accordance with the new process may varywithin wide limits. A i'eature of the process is that it enables a veryhigh degree of twist tobe applied without such a great weakening of thethread as is invariably experienced when cellulose acetate crepe threadsare prepared without an oil present therein. The process, moreover,permits of the insertion of twists which are impossible of attainmentwithout an oil present therein and without steaming, owing to thebreakage of the thread. This is important since it enables crepe fabricshaving very 7 6 ing to requirements.

pronounced yet uniform crepe effects to be produced. The crepe figurecan be regulated accord- .The degree of twist desirable in anyparticular case depends upon a number of factors, including the preciseeffects required, and the denier and number of filaments in the thread.For example, threads of 150 denier may be twisted to about 70 to 75 ormore turns per inch, while 100 denier threads may be twisted to about'to or more turns per inch. Proportionate twists may be used in case ofthreads of other deniers.

By the new process highly twisted cellulose acetate crepe threads may beproduced in which the filaments are extremely closely packed. As

appears from a microscopic examination of the cross-sections of yarnstwisted in accordance with this invention, the filaments are squeezedtogether into substantially as close contact as possible, causing somedistortion of the cross-section of at least some of the filamentsthereof. The filaments, however, are not stuck together nor packedtogether and can be separated upon untwisting into individual filaments.The threads produced in accordance with the present invention have aspecific gravity of at least 85% of that of a solid thread.

The highly twisted crepe threads may be incorporated in the fabrics invarious ways, for example, the weft alone may be wholly or partiallycomposed of such threads or the warp may also contain them. Valuablefabrics may be produced by employing in the warp, threads of relativelylow twist and in the weft both crepe threads having a left-hand twistand crepe threads having a right-hand twist, pairs of threads ofleft-hand twist alternating with pairs of threads of right-hand twist.

If desired, the cellulose acetate crepe threads may be associated in thefabrics with highly twisted crepe threads of other materials, e. g. ofnatural silk or regenerated cellulose, or threads of artificial silkproduced by other processes. When the fabrics contain threads of 10wtwist, these may wholly be of cellulose acetate or wholly or in part ofother materials, e. g. natural silk or regenerated cellulose.

Fabrics containing highly twisted crepe threads prepared in accordancewith this invention may be scoured, for example, in the manner adoptedin connection with fabrics comprising highly twisted yarn or naturalsilk. Enhanced crepe effects may be obtained by employing a scouring orother aqueous crepe baths at or near the boiling point thereof. Thefabric made in accordance with this invention may be caused to crepe byimmersing the same in a bath, containing up to 10 grams or more perlitre of soap, that is maintained at about 95 C. to C. The period oftreatment in the heated bath may be from 10 to 45 minutes. Thedelustering effect of all high temperature scouring baths upon fabricscontaining threads of lustrous cellulose acetate may be minimized byincorporating therein salts or sugars.

An important characteristic of fabrics exhibiting crepe effects producedin accordance with this invention is that unlike crepe fabricsheretofore produced, they do not shrink substantially when washed orotherwise treated with aqueous liquids, nor do they tend to developspots when subjected locally (such as by rain) to aqueous liquids.Therefore garments or other articles made of such fabric may belaundered in the ordinary way without recourse to dry cleaninl. I As anillustration in describing this inKention and not as a limitation, thefollowing example is given:

. Example.

- A spinning solution is formed by mixing substantially 25 parts ofacetonesoluble cellulose acetate, 75 parts of acetoneand .05 part ofolive oil. This solution is spun into filaments by the dry method ofspinning. The yarn as it-is formed is lubricated with a mixture of oliveoil and sulphonated naphthene and subsequently twisted to a crepe threadby imparting thereto in the presence of steam, about 75 turns per inch.This \yarn is woven into a fabric. The fabric is then treated for 30minutes in an aqueous bath maintained at 99 C. The fabric produced has aheavy and uniform crepe effect produced thereon, which crepe effect isspot-proof and substantially free from further shrinkage upon treatmentin aqueoils or other cleaning baths normally-met with in. the use of thefabric.

While this invention has been described in particular connection withcellulose acetate, it is applicable for use with yarns or threads-madeof other organic derivatives of cellulose, such as cellulose formate,cellulose propionate, cellulose butyrate or other organic esters ofcellulose, or cellulose ethers such as methyl cellulose, ethyl celluloseor benzyl cellu'lose.

It is to be understood that the foregoing detailed description is merelygiven by way of illustration and many alterations may be made thereinwithout departing from the spirit of our invention.

Having described our invention, what we desire to secure by LettersPatent is:

1. Process for the production of highly twisted crepe thread offilaments of an organic derivative of cellulose, which comprisesincorporating an oil with the thread, crepe twisting the thread offilaments in a single stage and steaming the thread during the actualinsertion of the crepe twist.

2. Process for the production of highly twisted crepe thread offilaments of an organic derivative of cellulose, which comprisesincorporating an oil with the thread of filaments of an organicderivative of cellulose, crepe twisting said thread and during theactual insertion of the crepe twist, steaming the thread under suchconditions that moisture is present.

3. Process for the production of highly twisted crepe thread offilaments of cellulose acetate, which comprises incorporating avegetable oil with a thread of filaments of cellulose acetate, crepetwisting said thread and, during the actual insertion of the crepetwist, steaming the thread and stretching the filaments thereof.

4. Process for the production of highly twisted crepe thread offilaments of cellulose acetate, which comprises incorporating avegetable oil with a thread of filaments of cellulose acetate, crepetwisting said thread in a single stage and, during the actual insertionof the crepe twist, steaming the thread under such conditions thatmoisture is present and stretching the filaments of the thread so thatthe denier of the crepe twisted thread is 95 per cent to per cent ofthat of the thread before crepe twisting.

5. Process for the production of highly twisted crepe thread offilaments of an organic derivative of cellulose, which comprisesincorporating about .3% on the weight of the organic derivative ofcellulose of olive oil, with a thread of filaments of an organicderivative of cellulose, crepe twisting said thread and steaming thethread during the actual insertion of the crepe twist.

6. Process for the production of highly twisted crepe thread offilaments of cellulose acetate,

whichcomprises incorporating an oil with the thread, steaming thethread, and crepe twisting the threadwhlle it is being subjected to theaction of the steam.

CAMILLE DREYFUS. WILLIAM WHITEHEAD.

